The Search is Over
by OceanWolfff
Summary: "The dark figure curled his finger around Chat's chin. "You are under my control now, Kitty boy. And if you disobey me, I'll find your little Lady and squash her like the bug she is. After all, I do know her real identity." Chat's eyes grew wide, and the figure smirked. "Do we have a deal?" Chat began to shake and sweat, but he nodded reluctantly. "Yes. We have a deal." /COLLEGE AU
1. Prologue: A New Chapter

**A/N: Hellooooooo. I've recently gotten into this fandom (Ik, I'm a little late, but hey. Better late than never! And besides, I hear season 3 is coming out soon...) So I was bored one night and decided "hey, let's write a MLB fanfiction." And so I did, typical me. I don't exactly know where this story will go, but I do promise you angst and drama and fluff ^-^**

 **So...I guess enjoy!**

 **Prolouge: A New Chapter**

Ladybug let out a sigh as she leaned up against the chimney up on the rooftop. She and Chat were on their night patrol when they finally landed on the familiar rooftop. This roof was where they always met up for patrols and where they always parted afterwards. It gave a great view of the city. It was pleasing to look at and easy to catch anything suspicious going on.

"I can't believe it." Ladybug broke the peaceful night silence.

"And what's that, M'lady?" Chat Noir purred, shooting a flirtatious smile Ladybug's way.

"It's just that..." Ladybug looked up at the sky with the millions of starts twinkling in the night sky. Then she directed her sight down towards the beautiful glittering city.

"This. Right here, in front of us. This beautiful city that we live in."

"Yup, I see it too. I'm not blind, you know. I, in fact, have night vision and-"

"No, Chat," Ladybug giggled. "I'm trying to say...I can't believe that its been almost four years. Four years since we've been protecting Paris. Four years since I've been fighting by your side."

"And almost two months since we've defeated Hawkmoth," Chat added in.

It was true. They had defeated Hawkmoth nearly two months ago. It was a hard day; a hard battle. And the moment Chat found out that Hawkmoth was his father all along instantly made the day even harder. How many times had he put his own son in danger? How many times had he had one of his akumas injure him or his lady? Countless times. But when he stood right there over his father, his cataclysm ready to kill the man who was behind Hawkmoth this whole time, he couldn't bring himself to do it. He couldn't kill his own father, even when Ladybug was depending on him.

"Chat! Do it, now!" Ladybug shouted. The cat looked up at his lady, and she could see it in his eyes that he couldn't do it.

But why? This was was the villain they'd been hunting down for years. Why was he stopping now when he had his chance?

Ladybug looked closer at the villain. Gabriel Agreste. Her idol. The person she looked up to as a career inspiration. And now she had to kill him? She knew she couldn't just let him go, because if he found a miraculous again, he'd be back stronger and more determined than ever.

Ladybug knew it had to be done, despite all that that Marinette side of her begged not to. _He is your idol_ , she heard her Marinette persona whisper in her head. _He can be spared, and you can continue looking up to his work!_

 _No,_ Ladybug thought back. _This has to be done. With or without his powers, after this, he'll be a wreck. He could put himself and the ones around him in danger. This has to be done._

"Lucky Charm!" she shouted, throwing her yoyo up into the air. It transformed and fell down into her hands as a syringe. _A syringe?_ Then Ladybug understood and knew what had to be done.

Chat saw the lucky charm in her hand. He couldn't let this happen.

"Ladybug, stop! You don't have to kill him!" Chat shouted. The fear and desperateness in his eyes caused Ladybug to take a step back. Maybe he was right. They didn't have to kill him. He could just continue to live his life on the low, or he could be put in prison. But wouldn't the media blow up then?

"Don't listen to him," Gabriel spoke, his voice scratchy and full of regret. "Kill me. Kill me please."

"Don't do it, Ladybug," Chat pleaded. But Gabriel's eyes also pleaded _"please do it."_ Ladybug looked between the two. She shook her head as so many thoughts whirled around in her head. No. She couldn't do it. She couldn't. She couldn't kill anyone. It just wasn't in her blood.

"I can't," Ladybug spoke, looking into Gabriel's eyes. "Chat is right. We don't have to kill you. Your life is still precious, you can still do so much more with it."

"No. No I can't." His eyes casted downwards as they burned with hot tears. "I've made so many mistakes, too many mistakes. I've put my son and those he's loved in danger so many times. I don't deserve to live."

He looked up at her. A couple tears had fallen out of his eyes. The sight hurt Chat. He had never seen his father like this before.

"Kill me, Ladybug, please. It's such a quick and painless death. I can't do this anymore. It's my time to go. You've already defeated me. Nothing matters anymore _. I_ don't matter anymore."

"That's not true." Chat's voice grew soft. "You still have so much left to live for. Things don't have to end this way. Give yourself another chance. You can start over."

"No." Gabriel shook his head violently. He held his head in both of his hands. The tears were flowing harder now. "Kill me. Kill me. Now."

Ladybug felt her body tremble. She couldn't do this. Chat was right. He could start over after his jail sentence. He could become a new man and a caring father to his son.

"I'm sorry. I can't." Ladybug took a couple steps back. She dropped the syringe on the ground. "I can't kill you. I'm sorry."

Gabriel looked up from his crippled position. He first looked at Ladybug. This young woman was so pure and full of good intent. She valued and contained great virtues. Gabriel understood why she herself couldn't kill him. She was too kindhearted and innocent to do something so brutal. He admired these qualities she had.

Then he looked at Chat. This young man. He was so brave and witty, yet he was so kind and he only wanted the best for everyone. It reminded him of his own son. _Adrien, I'm sorry_ , his words rung in his own head. _I'm so sorry._

Gabriel eyed the syringe on the ground. It was just a couple of inches away from Ladybug's feet.

 _I could end this all right now..._

He found his chance and reached for it. He snatched the syringe in his hand. Ladybug tried to leap towards him to take the syringe back from him, but her reflexes were too slow. Gabriel struck the syringe into the vein inside his neck. He released the fluid in the tube before pulling it out of his own neck.

"NO!" Chat exclaimed, reaching out to Gabriel. But the man fell to his side in a choppy motion. Chat watched in horror as his father let out his last breath and slowly blinked his eyes closed until he was no more but dead. Chat felt so much anger rise inside of him. He turned to Ladybug and saw her breathe out a sigh of relief.

"At least it's over," she said. That comment she made triggered him. Chat clenched his fists and gritted his teeth at her. Now he felt livid.

"Why did you do that? Why did you just let him kill himself like that?" Chat hissed.

"Chat! I-"

"We could of just arrested him! Had him locked up in the highest, strongest prison in all of Paris!"

"Chat, I didn't mean for this to happen! I didn't want him dead. But I'm not angry about it either. This was Gabriel Agreste! The media would totally blow up, and that wouldn't be pretty. Bad things could happen then. Things could get out of order and out of control."

Ladybug took in a deep breath to continue her rant. And then she thought about Adrien, and how bad this would be for him. He had to be protected.

"People would never leave his son, Adrien Agreste, alone and lots of people would probably try to kill him since he's the son of a villain. It's better if we just say Gabriel Agreste died from a heart attack or some other natural cause."

Chat squeezed his eyes shut and massaged the bridge of his nose. "You do realize that you're responsible for the suicide of Adrien Agreste's father. How do you think he'll react? Seeing his father's dead body lying limp, not having the slightest clue on how he died? Do you realize how he'll feel?!"

Ladybug let out a gasp. How _dare_ he blame her for Gabriel's suicide. She felt rage fill her, but then she recalled all that happened. Chat...he was right. She _could_ have prevented his death. But the moment she saw Gabriel reach for the syringe, something held her back. Her mind told her to let him be; let him make his own choice. She could have saved him, but she didn't.

Ladybug was quiet for a minute. The realization hit her. Her biggest crush or all time, Adrien...his father had just committed suicide. And it was her fault. She was responsible for this. She was responsible for the hurt and sadness Adrien would feel. She would be responsible for his depression. He already had lost one parent, and now the only parent he had left was gone too.

Ladybug felt her heart sink to her stomach. Tears threatened to fall from her eyes, but she held them back and slowly blinked them away.

The heroine looked down at the dead body of Gabriel.

"Oh, gosh. This is all my fault." Ladybug knelt down by Gabriel's side. She checked his pulse in case, by some chance, he was still alive. But she found no pulse, and his breathing had come to a stop. Ladybug knew she would have to live with this guilt of knowing she let her crush's father die for the rest of her life. She would have to carry this burden, this lingering thought, with her forever.

Ladybug looked up at the black cat, her bluebell eyes wide and heavy with regret.

"You were right, Chat Noir, I should've been quicker. I could've saved him."

She looked back at Gabriel's dead pale face, whispering, "I'm so sorry."

It was then that Ladybug's earrings beeped.

"Ladybug, you should go," Chat spoke with a scratchy voice. Ladybug looked concerned for her kitty, wondering what could be going on in his head.

"But-" she started.

Chat held up a paw and shook his head. "I'll take care of him. You go."

"But Chat..."

The black cat finally snapped.

"GO!"

Ladybug was taken aback by Chat's yell. He'd never raised his voice at her before, but she knew she deserved it after what she had done.

"Time to bug out."

And then she was gone, and she left Chat to cry over his father's dead body in peace...

No, that day was not a day Chat liked to remember. Not one that Ladybug liked to remember either. The next day after that, when she saw Adrien's heavy face as he walked into class, she couldn't stand the sight of him and she ran off into the bathroom, crying for the rest of the period in there. After that, Marinette had trouble speaking to him (even more trouble than before.) She tried avoiding speaking to him altogether. Every time she saw him was just another reminder that she let his father die. And she felt extreme guilt for it. She could never forgive herself for the biggest mistake she had ever made.

"Yes," Ladybug sighed. "And two months since Hawkmoth."

She again was quiet for a minute. The only sound heard was the comforting night breeze wrapping around their bodies to keep them cool and content.

"I graduate from high school tomorrow," she finally said. "And I'm _scared_ , Chat."

Chat looked over at her crippled position (her knees pulled up to her face where she rested her chin) with his piercing green eyes all full of concern. His natural instinct made him scoot closer to Ladybug. Their shoulders were almost touching, but he gave themselves a respectable distance.

"Scared, M'lady?" he said. "Why are you scared? You happen to be the bravest person I know. No akuma has ever scared you. So why does graduating scare you?"

"Because...I don't know what's going to happen. They say graduating from high school becomes a new chapter of your life. But I have no idea where the future will take me. Will I go to school? If so, which one? I've been accepted to so many, but which one do I chose?"

Ladybug looked at the Eiffel Tower as it radiated its light upon the buildings around it.

"And will I ever get a boyfriend? Will I ever get married? And what about children? Am I going to have children? Do I even _want_ children? How many children? Oh gosh..."

"Hey, calm down-" Chat jumped in.

"And us."

Ladybug looked up at Chat's beautiful green eyes. He found her bluebell eyes quite striking and he couldn't look away from his love.

"What about _us_ , Chat?" Ladybug lowered her voice to an almost-whisper. "What's going to happen to us? I mean, we've already defeated Hawkmoth, and I can't stay Ladybug forever."

Chat felt his heart drop. She was right. Their job was pretty much done. The only crime left was minor compared to akumas and the police could take care of it.

Chat didn't want to stop seeing his lady. He loved her too much to let her go. He couldn't bear not seeing her. She was the only thing keeping him sane sometimes. And even if she didn't need him, he needed her.

"I don't want to lose you, Chat."

Chat instantly looked back into Ladybug's eyes, trying to read her emotions. He picked up her hand and raised it to his lips, where he pressed a gentle kiss.

"You won't," he said. "Not if I can help it. I'll always be here by your side."

"Promise?" She whispered. Ladybug's eyes were so beautiful, and it took Chat everything he had to resist the urge to kiss her. He placed a paw on her cheek and brushed her hair behind her ear. He gave her a small smirk—which she smiled back at.

"I purr-omise," he winked.

##############################################

"I can't believe today is the day!"

Alya exclaimed. She nearly exploded with excitement, which was the exact opposite way Marinette felt right now. She felt as though she was going to puke out her guts. She was nervous for the ceremony and her future.

"We start in 20 minutes, can you believe it, Nino?" Alya asked, clinging on to him and shaking him.

"Woah, someone's had a little too much coffee to drink this morning," Nino commented. Adrien chuckled, but then glanced over at Marinette. She looked pale as a sheet of paper.

"Hey, Marinette, are you doing okay?" he asked.

Marinette's heart skipped a beat. Adrien was talking to her. She managed to avoid him for almost two months now, but he had approached _her_. She could run off and pretend to throw up, but she knew that wasn't the honest thing to do. So she took in a deep and shaky breath and prepared herself to engage in conversation with him.

"I'm just really nervous..." she explained.

"Oh, I understand. This is a big point in our lives. Our futures can go anywhere from here."

"Well, yours is already pretty much decided for you," Marinette mumbled.

Adrien cocked his head. "What was that?"

Marinette was about to explain herself, when she heard, "Places everyone! Get in line, we're getting ready to start!"

Adrien waved goodbye to Marinette and they both went to find their place in line.

The graduation went by fairly quickly. The moment Marinette walked across the stage, she felt a sense of pride. Sure, she was still nervous for what was in store, but she was proud of all she had accomplished.

After the ceremony, everyone went up to each other and congratulated the other. It didn't take long for Alya to find Marinette, and when she did, she crashed into her with a big bear hug.

"Can you believe it? We're graduates! No more high school. We're free and Independent!" Alya shouted.

"I know, it's crazy!" Marinette pulled away from the hug. The two continued to chat for a while, until Marinette was interrupted by a nudge on her shoulder. She turned around to face none other than Adrien.

"Hey, Marinette. Can I talk to you for a minute?"

Marinette looked over at her best friend for reassurance. Alya nodded. So she went with Adrien.

"Look, I know you've been avoiding me for a while," he started. "I'm not going to interrogate you and ask why. But, our lives are about to change, and Marinette. I don't want to cut off ties with you. You're a really good friend to me. I still want you in my life."

 _Did he really just say that?_ Marinette internally squealed.

"As you might know, now that I'm 18, I'll be taking over my father's business. But..."

Adrien scratched the back of his neck and chuckled nervously.

"Let's just say I'm not the best with clothing lines...but you."

Marinette instantly stood up straighter and listened intently.

"You are a fantastic graphic designer. You created one of Jagged Stone's album covers. And remember when you won the contest for the best hat? You have great talent, Marinette."

Marinette just stood there with a wide expression. She tried to process his words. Her, talented? That meant the world to her to hear him say that about her. To her.

"What I'm trying to say is...would you like to work for the Agreste company?"

"Work? For you?" Marinette gasped. Gabriel Agreste used to be her biggest inspiration! Used to...

"Well, yeah. You'd be the perfect person to help design the clothes."

"Y-yes! I'll do it!" Marinette rushed in without giving it a second thought.

"Great," Adrien smiled. "You know my number. Give me a call later so we can continue talking about this."

And with that, he walked off back to his friends.

As Marinette walked back towards Alya, her mind was racing with a billion thoughts. She? Work for Adrien? And his million dollar company? For a hot minute there, Marinette forgot all of her guilt and felt the excitement bubble up inside of her. She wanted to scream with joy. She was going to have a future with the love of her life, Adrien Agreste.

 **A/N: Welp...what did you think? I know this chapter may seem a little vague, but I promise it'll get to the good stuff soon and the plot will start coming together within the next few chapters.**

 **Please don't forget to leave me a review to help me with inspitation!**

 **Thank youuu ^-^**


	2. I Wanna Be With You

**A/N: hello my peoples! I am back!** **UPDATE** **: I went back and edited chapter one. People had told me that Marinette killing Hawkmoth was OOC so I fixed that up, so go back and read that fixed part if you wanna ;))**

 **Now on to chapter two. I promise you, things are really gonna heat up within the next two chapters ;))**

 **Now...Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

 _ONE: I Wanna Be With You_

"Marinette? Marinette!"

The name sounded fuzzy in Marinette's head. She pulled her soft pink comforter tighter around her body and nuzzled her face deeper into her pillow for further warmth. Whoever tried to awake her (which they failed miserably at) would pay later for discontinuing her dream. Her sweet, sweet dream about her being held in the strong arms (and being showered with kisses) of Adrien...

"MARINETTE!"

She immediately bolted up in bed. She rubbed her eyes while looking for the source of the yell. Her eyes laid upon her best friend sitting at the end of her bed.

"Well, good morning sunshine," Alya snorted sarcastically. She pulled the blankets off of Marinette in an aggressive manor, which Marinette gasped. She crinkled her nose at Alya in annoyance.

"It's a good thing I woke you, or you would've been late for being early," Alya said. Marinette let out a loud groan and she reached for the covers in Alya's hands so she could wrap them around herself and go back to sleep. But Alya knew what was going on in her best friend's mind as she pulled the sheets away even farther.

"Just a few more minutes of sleep, Alya," Marinette grumbled.

"Uh, no way, José!" Alya replied. "There is no way I'm letting you go back to sleep. Now, come on, get up."

Alya reached for Marinette's arm and gently tugged her out of bed.

"Ugh," Marinette yawned. "Why did you become my roommate again?"

"Because you love me," Alya retorted. "Come on."

Once Marientte finally got to her feet, she walked to her closet to grab some clothes and then headed straight to the bathroom to shower (of course she rocked out to Jagged Stone in the shower, using her shampoo bottle as a microphone and whipping her sopping wet hair around dramatically.)

After Marinette was finished, she came out of the shower with a silky, pastel pink blouse (that had a loose bow at the collar) and a short black skirt with thick leggings underneath. She wore white lace-up boots and a white designer jacket over her blouse. She curled her dark hair to give it volume, and to top it off, she wore a white beret on her head.

"Look at little miss fashion show queen waltzing in," Alya commented as Marinette entered the kitchen. Marinette giggled as she eyed Alya eating a bowl of cereal. She was even kind enough to pour Marinette a bowl of her favorite cereal: Lucky charms.

"So," Alya spoke, trying to start conversation. "Did you dream about anything last night?"

Marinette shook her head. "Nope. Completely dreamless." Alya gave her a suspicious are-you-sure type of look with which Marinette responded to by raising an eyebrow. So Alya looked away and continued to eat her breakfast in peace.

But she couldn't stop thinking of what she heard Marinette speak in her sleep and she couldn't give up so easily. So she didn't.

"What was with all of that 'Adrien, Adrien, stop' talk with flirtatious giggles in your sleep?"

Marinette dropped her spoon.

"You heard."

"I'm pretty sure the people even two dorms down could hear you," Alya laughed. Marinette frowned and went back to eating her cereal quietly. She felt a little ashamed. And embarrassed.

"Mari, why don't you tell me what's going on?" Alya's voice suddenly turned soft and concerned for her friend.

"Nothing is going on," Marinette retorted. She crossed her arms angrily and glared at Alya.

"I thought you were over him, Marinette."

"I am."

"It sure didn't sound like it." Alya sighed deeply. She shook her head and casted her eyes downwards. "When I awoke you right after you spoke his name, you pulled your blankets even tighter around you and said 'Adrien, don't let go.' And you nuzzled your pillow and kissed it."

Did she? Marinette did not remember that.

"I'm worried about you," Alya admitted. She placed her hand over Marinette's hand. Marinette could see all of the worry in Alya's eyes, and she felt bad for making her friend feel like this for her.

"You have a _boyfriend_ , Mari. A boy who _loves_ you."

"I know," Marinette whispered. She thought of her boyfriend. Shaun. He was no model, but he was attractive in Marinette's eyes. He was sweet and thoughtful and he always put others before himself. Just like someone else she knew...

"I know that you may not be able to control your dreams, but this isn't fair to Shaun," Alya began to lecture. "He loves you so much, and he's always here for you, even on your worst days."

Alya then felt the need to break the obvious truth to her friend. "Adrien doesn't love you, Mari. He's never there for you. Hell, he probably never _thinks_ about you. When was the last time he even spoke to you?"

Marientte didn't know what her mind was doing, but it suddenly began to defend Adrien.

"Well, a few days ago he did when we were looking over my designs," Marientte answered.

"No, no." Alya closed her eyes and shook her hands to get Marinette to stop and to think straight. "When was the last time he _actually_ spoke to you?"

Marinette's face dropped as she looked down at her feet. She felt awful, and she knew that Alya was right—as she always was. This was ridiculous and Marinette was going to get herself and others hurt.

But she answered Alya's question.

"I guess three or four months ago." _And that was just small talk for five minutes._

"You see? I don't want to hurt your feelings, but you're nothing more than an employee to Adrien." Alya stood up from her seat with her bowl in her hand. "Stick with those who love you."

Alya threw her bowl in the sink and waved goodbye at Marinette. "I have to go. See you tonight."

She grabbed her keys and walked out. Soon Marinette was doing the same.

#############################################

Marinette and Alya went to the University of Paris, the nicest school in the area. Marinette studied (and majored in) graphic design and apparel design. Alya went into journalism to become a reporter (it was her passion after keeping up with the LadyBlog for so many years.)

On the way to her first class, Marinette's mind was full. Of course she was over Adrien. Adrien was nothing more than her boss; she hardly ever saw the boy. Besides, she was in love with Shaun. And Adrien had his own girl too. She was quite the model and whenever she and Adrien came to the office, she couldn't seem to keep her hands off of him...

"Geez, watch where you're going!"

If there was one thing that didn't change about Marinette throughout the years, it was her clumsiness. And her mind was so full and her thoughts were racing so fast that she didn't see the person in front of her. She totally rammed into them.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" Marinette apologized. "I didn't see where I was going."

"Yeah, no kidding," the guy snorted. And rolling his eyes, he strolled off.

Marinette was so sick of her clumsiness. It made her wonder why she—someone as clumsy as her—would be entrusted with the Ladybug miraculous.

Marientte suddenly longed for Tikki's presence. How long had it been? Almost four years? Marinette felt guilty for leaving Tikki like that and locking her away with her miraculous, but even Tikki knew that Ladybug had no purpose anymore. But still. Four years was such a long time...

 _No,_ she told herself. _Things are good right now. Your miraculous is put away for a reason, and it's going to stay like that._

Marinette finally made it to her destination. Clearing her mind from all of her cluttered thoughts, Marinette stepped into her classroom.

#############################################

"Marientte Dupain-Cheng, you've been sitting at your desk for 30 minutes now and you still haven't made any progress."

Marinette looked up at Nathalie and gave her a weak smile. "I'm sorry. I just have a lot on my mind today."

"Don't you want to win the contest for the 22nd Special?" Nathalie crossed her arms and frowned down at Marinette. Marinette gulped. This "22nd Special" thing was a big deal. Adrien was turning twenty two in a few days and he was going to pick his favorite clothing design that one of his employees created and that design would be for his 22nd Special item clothing, and it was to be limited edition. The winner of the contest would get 40% profit of what was sold, which could really help out Marinette by using the money to pay for her school tuition.

"I'll get right to work," Marinette spoke. Nathalie grunted while looking at her weak smile, but she soon gave up and walked away.

Marinette let out a sigh of relief. Nathalie was a bit intimidating, especially with her case of RBF (resting bitch face.) Marinette swore she had never seen her smile or had never seen her genuinely happy before.

"I just hate it when she gets on your tail for the smallest things," a familiar voice spoke. Marinette looked to the desk on her right and saw her coworker (and friend) Maizy. She was a fun person to be around. She was lively and full of spunk, but she was often nosey and distracting and there were multiple cases where she had almost gotten Marinette in trouble for talking too much.

"Well, I am not doing the best that I could right now," Marinette admitted, returning to her work and trying to force an idea out of her head. But so much was going on around her and so many thoughts were zooming through her head that it was nearly impossible to come up with anything.

"Having trouble there?" Marinette cautiously turned around on her whirly chair and met face to face with Adrien. She almost squeaked.

"Uh, hi, Adrien! I mean, Mr. Agreste. I'm just a little behind right now, but I promise you I'll be back on track soon!" Marinette also gave Adrien a faltering smile. Standing behind Adrien was his girlfriend, Brittany. She let out a giggle.

"Don't be intimidated by him, Dupain-Cheng," she spoke. She rested her hands on both sides of his shoulders. Then she placed a sweet kiss on his cheek. "He won't bite."

The sight bothered Marinette. She wasn't in the mood to see Brittany's disgusting flirting with _her_ high school crush. She couldn't watch this for too much longer. Who did she think she was, laying her hands on him and pressing her lips to him?

 _Marinette, stop! You can't be thinking this way. You need to get over Adrien. He's not yours and he won't ever be. She_ is _his, and your old crush on him is invalid now. You need to focus on the present. You need to focus on Shaun._

"Hey, Brittany, I need to talk to Marinette. Can you go and get the reports from Nathalie for me?" Adrien explained. Brittany looked from Marinette to Adrien. She hesitated, but soon gave in.

"Of course, honey," she spoke in a singsong tune. "I'll be right back."

After planting one more long kiss on his cheek, she strutted off like she was a fashion queen and the floor was her walkway.

"Marinette, these past few weeks, you've been kind of...out of it," Adrien spoke. "I'm not here to scold you, really. I just wanted to make sure that you're doing okay?"

Marinette's heart fluttered. Adrien was checking up on her, and it was the sweetest thing she'd seen him do recently. It reminded her of the Adrien she knew back in high school. She had no doubt that Adrien had stopped being his kind self. She just hadn't seen him enough to witness it.

"I, uh. Y-yeah," Marinette responded, completely taken off guard.

"Are you sure? You just don't seem to be yourself. You're usually excited about work and you come in with new brilliant designs. I haven't seen anything like that from you recently." For the first time in forever, Adrien looked into her eyes. _Really_ looked into his eyes. "I'm worried about you, Marinette."

 _And_ what _did Alya say about 'he never thinks about you'?_ The devil side of her conscious spoke. _Shut up, he's just being friendly, nothing more,_ the angel side retorted.

"I'm sorry, I don't mean to worry you!" Marinette desperately apologized. "I've just been so busy with school. The stress has really gotten to me."

"They never said senior year was easy," Adrien chuckled. "But Marinette."

"Yes?"

"If you need to take a couple of days off to clear your mind, just tell me. I'll let you go."

 _He is so kind._

"Oh, no I-I'm fine. Thank you, though," she stuttered.

"Alright then," Adrien stood up straight as he saw Brittany advancing towards him. "I still need you to get busy with work, though."

"Yes sir." Marinette smiled and nodded. "I'll get right onto it."

"Good." Adrien nodded back right as Brittany attached herself to him.

"Are we ready to go?" She batted her eyes at him.

"Yeah, Britt. Let's go."

Marientte watched as the two of the walked off. _How could Adrien ever be with someone like her?_ She reminded Marientte of Chloe. Clingy. Flirty. Obnoxious.

Sighing, once again Marinette picked up herself pencil and tried jotting down on her paper ideas for designs.

"Maybe try doing some sort of shirt design?" Maizy—who was obviously eavesdropping—suggested. Marinette shrugged. "Maybe."

"Quiet please!" Nathalie's voice rang out. Marinette cringed at the volume or her yell and quietly began working again.

"Come on, let me help you out," Maizy smiled.

"Maizy!" Marinette hissed.

"Girls!"

############################################

After a long tiring day of work, Marinette finally arrived home. She sloppily hung up her keys on the key rack and kicked her shoes off by the front door. She was walking into the living room, and the couch looked so comforting in that moment. She planned on crashing on it asap, but to her surprise, Shaun was sitting there on the sofa.

"Hey, babe," he said with a cheery voice and he opened up his arms. Marinette groaned and fell into his arms, almost falling asleep right then and there.

"I love you," she mumbled. A warm kiss was pressed to her forehead. Marinette looked up at her boyfriend with sleepy eyes and a sloppy smile. Shaun let out a chuckle as he stroked his girl's cheek.

"I love you more," he whispered.

"Hmphmmm..." was all Marinette could form in her mouth. She felt herself drifting off to sleep right then in his arms. On the sofa. Until a steamy, warm scent hit her nose. _Food_. She sat upright immediately and it was as if she was wide awake.

"Where's the food?" Marinette asked. Shaun pointed to the coffee table in front of them, and there Marinette found a plate of food with a heaping scoop of shepherds pie.

"You made this?" Marinette smiled up at her boy.

"Well, Alya was going out, so she instructed me to make dinner and left the recipe on the counter, so I-"

Marinette put a finger to his lips. Then she pressed her own lips on his to form a sweet kiss.

"All you had to say was yes," Marinette spoke. She grabbed her plate and placed it on her lap. While she ate, she leaned into Shaun while he watched TV. Marinette was so tired and content with the food in her stomach that the voices from the screen lulled her off to sleep...

 **Stay tuned for next chapter, because that one is gonna be... E. I promise you you'll wanna stick around ;)**

 **Please leave me a review! They** _ **really**_ **help me out and reviews really encourage me! Let me know what your favorite part was! Or what you think I could improve on. Or maybe tell me what you'd like to see in the further plot?**

 **Anyways, leave me a good review! :D**

 **I love you guys.**


	3. Mislead

**A/N: Sorry for the long update! I hadn't found time to type this up, but I finally did tonight!**

 **Things are starting to heat up, so enjoy this juicy chapter.**

 **Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

 _TWO: Mislead_

* * *

"Hey, Marinette."

The model with fair blonde hair. Her high school crush. He was standing right in front of her. His eyes smiled at her and they were so kind and welcoming that Marinette fell in love with him all over again.

"H-h-hi!" Marinette stuttered out. "How am I? I mean, how you are? I mean how be, no-how are you?"

Adrien just chuckled at her. "Just like you were in high school." He took a step closer to her. Marinette was tempted to take a step back, but she was frozen.

"Will things always be this way between us?"

His eyes looked hungrier now.

"N-no. I mean, what do you mean?" Marinette was shaking with nerves, especially while Adrien came in closer. Their faces were just inches from touching. Adrien licked his lips and his eyes dipped down to her lips. She was scared now. Oh so scared.

"Do you love me, Marinette?" he whispered in her ear. Marinette's heart beat faster and faster by the moment, she thought it was going to explode. Her feet were still frozen and her breath was short cut. She began to feel light headed and her world began to spin around and around. She tried opening her mouth, but all she could do was chew on her tongue.

Adrien's expression changed from hunger to concern for the girl.

"Marinette?"

She was shaking even more now, but she finally found her voice.

"Adrien, I-I..."

He saw the expression in her eyes. Unsure. Ashamed. He understood how she felt.

"Oh." He stood up straight and took a couple steps back to give them distance. "I see."

"No, Adrien, it's not like that." Marinette tried to explain, but he was already walking off.

"Adrien, wait!" She wanted to run after him, but her feet were still glued to the floor. "Listen, please let me explain...I love..."

* * *

The moment she felt hands touch her, Marinette awoke right away. Everything was still the same. She and Shaun were still relaxing on the couch. The TV was still playing. Her plate was in her lap. The only thing off was Shaun's presence. It didn't feel all happy anymore. Instead it felt angry and hurt.

"What?" Marinette placed her plate on the table and looked Shaun in the eye. He definitely wasn't sending positive vibes anymore.

"Babe, what's wrong?" Marinette placed her hand on his cheek. But he whacked it off and glared at her. Marinette's heart stopped. What had she done?

"Enough with the pet names," Shaun growled. "You don't have the right to call me 'babe'."

She felt hurt. Hurt for herself. Hurt for him.

"Shaun, what happened?" Her voice was filled with confusion.

"Why don't you tell _me_."

"Shaun, I don't know what you're talking about!"

He snorted. "You don't know what _I'm_ talking about? Maybe you know what you're talking about. 'Adrien, Adrien.'" He began to mock her with such lividness. " 'Adrien, wait. Adrien, let me explain. Adrien, Adrien, Adrien.'"

Oh shit.

"Oh, Shaun, no," Marientte gasped.

"Oh, Marinette, yes," he spat. He looked at her and her face said it all. She was guilty. She was ashamed. But she was sorry.

"Shaun." She tried to reach her hand out to him, but he stood up before she could touch him and he stood with his back to her. Marinette felt her eyes water with tears. This wasn't supposed to happen. She was supposed to change. Today. Alya was helping her out too. She was going to forget all about Adrien. But she messed up.

"How long?"

 _What?_

"How long was this going on?" She watched him clench his fists by his side. "How long have you two been seeing each other?"

Marinette gasped out loud. "No, Shaun! It's not even like that at all! Adrien and I—"

"Stop." His voice was so soft, yet full of aggression. " 'Adrien and I.' Don't try to explain a lie to me. I want no more lies, Mari."

"Shaun, I'm not lying. Please, sit down and hear me out," Marinette begged. Her eyes were pooling up even more now.

"I don't need an explanation from you. I understand what's going on."

"No, you don't!" Marinette shouted. She was desperate now. She couldn't let Shaun walk out her door believing a lie. So she did what she did best. She began to ramble.

"Adrien is nothing but a boss to me. We're not even friends anymore! You remember me telling you about us in high school. He was just an old crush. Besides, he has a girlfriend now, who is beautiful and perfect for him."

One tear escaped from her eye. And then another one.

"I don't know why I'm dreaming about him. I don't know why I speak aloud in my sleep about him. It's just so crazy, because I love you, not him."

There was a long, long silence. They were both frozen in their spots. The voices on the TV were just a blur now as Marinette focused on Shaun. She saw his fists slowly loosen.

"Your feelings for him have returned." He turned around to face Marinette. Tears were streaming down his face. "You've fallen back in love with him."

 _No!_ Marinette's heart shouted. But her mouth couldn't form any words. She just stared at him as more tears rolled down her cheeks. _This wasn't supposed to happen. This wasn't supposed to happen. I'm such an idiot, I shouldn't have fallen asleep with him around. I should've wiped Adrien from my mind. Gosh, I'm so stupid._

She hurt him. Just like she was scared she would do. Everything was falling apart. He was falling apart before her very eyes. She felt sick to her stomach knowing that this was her fault. His hurt heart was her very own fault.

"I don't know if I can be in this relationship," Shaun finally said. So much pain filled in his voice.

"No!" This time Marinette spoke out loud. "Shaun, I don't love him. You have to trust me on this!"

"But you do, Marinette. I can hear the way you speak his name. I see your face when you speak about him. I tried to ignore it all, but it's clear. You have fallen for him."

Marinette let out a loud sob. She grasped his hand in the both of hers, tightly squeezing; holding onto it for dear life. "I love you, Shaun."

He let her hold onto him for a few moments. But he broke that moment by pulling away.

"I need to go."

"No, please," Marinette whispered in horror. He walked away from her, heading for the front door. Slowly he opened it, contemplating if he should look back at her or not.

"Shaun?"

He heard her voice. That was enough, so he decided not to. Instead he walked out of the door, leaving Marinette a sobbing mess on the couch inside.

* * *

Alya arrived to the dorm later than she planned on. Nino had added a surprise to their date—which Alya thoroughly enjoyed and she couldn't wait to tell Marientte about all of the details. Well, _most_ of the details.

"Mari, I'm home!" Alya announced in a singsong voice. But something wasn't right. She heard crying.

"Marinette?" Alya spotted her on the couch, crying face down into the cushion. Alya gasped. "Marinette!"

She ran up to her and knelt down by her side. She rubbed her back as she cried harder.

"Oh, honey," Alya whispered. She continued to sooth and calm her best friend. When she was ready, Marinette lifted her swollen face to look at Alya.

"Marientte, what happened?" Alya brushed Marinette's sweaty hair back from her face.

"Alya. I messed up."

 **Let's see how Marinette is going to get herself out of this one. Or will she? DUN DUN DUN**

 **Leave me a delicious review! :P :D**


	4. Take a Pizza My Heart

**A/N: Here we are! Chapter three!**

 **Also, IM SO SORRY FOR SUCH A LONG UPDATE! I will try to update weekly! Just sometimes I get writers block, but I will push through the That for you guys!**

 **Also please don't forget to leave me a review!**

 **Read, Review, and Enjoy!**

 _THREE: Take a Pizza My Heart_

"Can you believe Adrien's birthday is in a day?" Maizy squealed aloud. "I just _know_ he's going to pick my design, and he's going to love it! And then maybe he'll really see me for once. Really see me. He'll take me for who I am and he'll break up with Brittany and it'll just be the two of us."

Marinette used to remember feeling that way in high school. She always wished to impress Adrien and fantasied about the life they'd have together when they grew up. It was nothing like this.

"Keep up your wishful thinking," Marinette muttered.

"What is up with your attitude today?" Maizy crossed her arms and stopped in her tracks.

Marientte sighed. "I'm sorry, Maizy. I'm going through something right now. But it doesn't mean I should've taken it out on you."

"What happened?" Maizy wondered as she stuffed some papers into her work locker. "Don't tell me it's you and Shaun."

Marinette could only nod. Maizy placed a hand in front of her mouth.

"You didn't...did you?"

"Yes? No...it's complicated." Marinette dropped her hands at her side and stood there limply. Maizy took her to the benches in the middle of the locker room.

"Tell me about it, honey."

"Not here," Marinette replied.

"Where else, then? Nobody is in here, Marinette. You're safe to tell me anything," Maizy insisted. Marinette knew that she probably shouldn't tell her, but she did anyways. She poured everything out of her, even new thoughts and feelings she hadn't told Alya yet.

By the time she had finished her rambling, she felt exhausted.

"And your feelings for Adrien have returned?" Maizy tried to process all of the drama.

"Yes. No? I...I don't know!" Marinette dropped her head in her hands. "Maybe I don't actually like him. Maybe I just miss having a friendship with him and I'm misinterpreting that with real feelings."

"Marinette, it's okay if you're falling back in love." Maizy placed a hand on her back.

"No it's not!" Marinette exclaimed. "It'd not fair. It's not fair to Shaun. It's not fair to me. It's not even fair to Adrien, and he doesn't even know about it."

She threw her hands up in frustration. "Do you think I want this to happen? No. I just want to be happy with Shaun, but I blew that. Besides, it's even impossible for me to be with Adrien. We're practically strangers now."

There was a small awkward silence.

"He still cares about you, though."

"What?" Marinette looked over at her friend.

"Yesterday. He came to check up on you. He wanted to make sure you were okay. And he wasn't worried about the job. He was worried about you."

"That's ridiculous. It's not true."

"It _is_. He wouldn't offer to give you a few days off if he was worried about your job."

Marinette knew that Maizy was right. She actually reminded her of someone. But who?

Then it hit her.

Tikki.

She was just like Tikki. Maizy was playful and friendly just like Tikki. She was a little bit nosey in the way that Tikki was. And she was a good friend. She offered to listen to her problems (even minor ones, like when she was frustrated about how the store was out of what she needed) and sometimes she gave her advice. Just like Tikki. Was it Tikki who had been by her side all this time? Was it possible for a kwami to transform into a human? Marinette knew it was highly unlikely. But the thought comforted her.

"I'm just so confused." Marinette ran her hands down her face before blurting out, "Feelings suck."

They both let out a hollow laugh.

"They sure do," Maizy agreed. She stood up from the bench and held her hand out towards Marinette. "Come on, we'd better head home."

Marientte willingly took her hand and found Maizy pulling her up to her feet.

"Hey, Maizy?"

The blue eyed girl turned around. "Yeah?"

"Thanks."

"Anything for my friend."

They headed out the door together.

* * *

For the second time that week, Marientte came home to a surprise on her couch. To be more specific, Shaun was sitting on her couch. He was twiddling his thumbs and darting his eyes nervously around the room.

"Oh." Was all Marinette could manage to speak. She stood frozen in place while she waited for an explanation.

"A-Alya let me in," he stumbled. "She went to her room and let us to talk alone."

Marinette knew that Alya was bound to eavesdrop on the two of them. But she didn't have time to worry about that.

"You wanted to talk." Marinette's feet allowed her to walk again. She carefully sat down beside Shaun on the sofa.

"Mari," Shaun said after an uncomfortable silence. "I'm sorry for leaving you like that the other night. I was just so upset."

"You don't have to apologize. You had every right to be mad. You still do."

"It was still rude of me to do that."

"It's not fair to you."

"What's that?" Shaun wondered.

"It's not fair that you love me so much, and I..." Marinette dropped her head and sighed. Shaun carefully caressed her hand in his.

"You don't love me," he finished for her.

"No, Shaun, I _do_ , but-"

"Your feelings for him are stronger. I get it Marinette. I really do. It's not your fault; you can't control your feelings."

"But I don't even know _what_ I feel," Marinette spat. "This could be just some stupid phase."

She finally looked up at him to make eye contact.

"I don't deserve you, Shaun."

"Hey, hey. Don't say that." He placed a hand on her shoulder.

"You know I'm right. You've stuck by my side through everything. Every bad thing," Marinette explained. "And what have I done for you? I blurt out my feelings for another man in front of you."

He held her face in his palm now. "I am hurt, I will admit. But I also must remind myself that you can't control what's going on in you head. And the crazy thing is, I'm still so in love with you after all of this."

Marinette fought back her tears. She swallowed the lump in her throat and blinked multiple times. It hurt hearing him say that. It made her feel even more guilty.

"I _want_ to love you, Shaun," she whispered, closing her eyes and focusing on the hand holding her cheek. But even in that intimate moment of theirs, she imagined that being Adrien's hand holding her.

"I'm your Adrien, aren't I?"

"W-what?" _Could this guy read minds?_

"When you see me, you think of Adrien. You imagine me as Adrien when you're with me just because you can't be with the real deal. That's why you can't love me. You can't love a fake Adrien."

She may not be crying, but he was now. "It's a nasty trick. A nasty lie. But I can't blame you. I know you're too kind to ever do such a thing. But your mind is trying to convince you to use me."

Marinette debated on whether or not she should reach up and wipe his tears away. She decided against it.

"I didn't want to hurt you." Her voice trembled and cracked.

"I know."

"If I could love you, I would!" she spoke out desperately. "You have to believe me on that."

He smiled inspite of the pain. "I do."

"I wish I could control my feelings."

"You can't, though. And that's okay." He wiped his tears. "It's better I found out now before I fell in deeper into the lie."

Marinette felt her guilt increase and rise inside of her. She was a horrible person.

"No you're not."

Did she say that out loud?

"Yes I am. I led you on, and the worst part is that I didn't even realize what was going on or with what I was doing," Marinette spoke. "I'm so sorry."

Shaun held both of her hands in his now. "I know." It was a silent, bittersweet moment. Shaun and Marinette endeared their last moments together. They felt the warmth of their hands together as they realized this would be the last time they would ever hold hands. This was their last intimate moment.

Shaun stood up too soon, slipping his hands out of hers. "I have to go."

Marientte only nodded and bit her lip as she watched him make his way to the door. But before he walked out, she stopped him.

"Wait, Shaun."

He turned around, looking back into her bluebell eyes. "Yeah?"

"Just so you know, you make the world's best shepherd's pie." She smiled. "You're going to make some girl happy someday and you're for sure going to win her over with your shepherd's pie."

He smiled back. "I love you, Marinette."

Marientte didn't know she could possibly feel any guiltier. She finally broke down crying after holding in all of those tears. Shaun definitely got his revenge with those words.

* * *

"Oh, Adrien! We should go out tonight and have a romantic dinner." Brittany wrapped her arms around him from behind. He gently slipped out of her grasp.

"That's nice, Brittany. But I'm busy working here," he said as he picked up some sketch designs from an employee. He studied them before smiling at the worker. "These are very nice designs. Mind if I take them back to my office?"

The employee shook their head. Adrien moved on to the next worker and Brittany attached herself to him again, grabbing hold of his hand.

"Come on, honey!" The brunette whined.

"Not now." Adrien pulled away once again. He did that same thing: inspected the designs of his employee and held onto them to bring them back to his office.

Next he reached Marinette. Brittany saw Marinette wave at him and felt unnecessary jealousy rise inside of her. Instinctively, she pounced on Adrien and gave him a kiss.

"Come on, baby. Say you'll take me!"

"BRITTANY!"

She jumped back, very shocked at his tone of voice. He rarely raised his voice at her.

Adrien calmly recollected himself. "I'm very busy right now. I can't give you attention right now. Just go back to the office and I'll meet you there."

Brittany snorted. "No, clearly I'm not needed in your presence. I'll just go home instead."

"Fine," Adrien barked.

"Fine!" She snapped back. Whirling on her heel, she left the room.

Adrien turned back to Marinette and rubbed the back of his neck. "I'm sorry about that."

"No, it's okay," Marinette said. She handed him her sketches.

"Okay, if I'm seeing correctly, this is a leather jacket design you've sketched out," Adrien spoke his thoughts aloud.

"U-huh."

Adrien looked down at Marinette and noticed her slouched position. She had her back hunched over as she rested her face in her fist.

"Are you okay, Marinette?" Adrien wondered.

"I'm fine."

He knelt down on one knee to level with her and meet her face to face.

"No, you're not." And then he did the unexpected. He grabbed her hand. A light blush spread across her cheeks.

"You've been off recently. You say it's stress, but I know it's more than that. Please, tell me what's up."

He was so good.

"I...I..." _Don't you dare break down in front of Adrien._ "I broke up with my boyfriend. Yesterday."

"Oh." His face dropped. "I'm sorry."

"Yeah. Me too," Marinette sighed.

"If there's anything I can do..."

"No." She solemnly shook her head. "I'll be fine. Thank you, though."

 _Why does he care about me?_ She asked herself over and over again. He was too good; too kind. She didn't deserve him. She didn't deserve anyone.

"Why don't you go home?"

Had Marinette heard him correctly?

"What?" She asked.

"Yeah, you heard me. Go home. Go wallow. Go sleep." He stood up and placed her papers back on her desk. "Work is the last place you should be at right now."

And then he just walked off leaving Marinette in shock.

"I told you he cares about you," a voice piped in. Marinette looked over to see Maizy smirking at her.

"No, he doesn't," Marinette denied, trying to hide her blushed face behind her loose hair.

"That was all proof right there that he does."

Did he really actually care?

"Well, what are you waiting for? Get out of here," Maizy snickered. "Go on, shoo! Shoo!"

"Alright, alright." Marinette packed up her things and was soon out of there.

* * *

Adrien sat there alone in his office, listening to the clock in the room tick continuously and the outside breeze push against the window. Like he suspected, Brittany wasn't there waiting for him. He waited many hours (while doing his work) and she never showed up. Adrien relaxed a bit when he was certain she wouldn't be coming around. Yes, he enjoyed having a girl of his own. But sometimes he felt as if their relationship was toxic. Everything had to be about Brittany. She wasn't like that at first when he met her. She had a good heart, but she soon turned selfish. He knew he should get out of that relationship, but he still had hopes in her changing. But that didn't change the fact that he was irritated by her. She was awfully clingy, and in the most inappropriate times too.

After a working spree, Adrien glanced at the clock. 8:30?! He should be home by now, not sitting here doing extra work. But he suspected Brittany would be there, so he decided to hang around a little while longer.

And then his stomach released a long growl.

He hadn't eaten since 2:00 that afternoon. He should fuel his body. But he still didn't want to go home, so...

Adrien picked up his phone and called the nearest pizza place.

* * *

Adrien almost felt like a kid on Christmas morning when he heard the delivery person knock on his office door. He raced to the door and opened it, revealing a pizza box held by a scraggly man with long black hair. He looked about his age, but something about his expression caught Adrien's eye.

"Is this the place?" The voice sounded bored.

"Uh, yeah, it is."

"It looks fancy." Adrien could've sworn he had a yawn hidden behind his tone.

"Yeah..." all Adrien wanted was his damn pizza.

"I'm Brad. Broke adult, owner of this loser life," the delivery man sighed.

"Uh...Adrien," he said, unsure.

"That's nice, that's nice." He yawned for real this time out of boredom. "Say, can I come in?"

"Well, I...um..."

"Thanks."

Brad shoved the pizza box right into Adrien's hands and walked into the office, leaving a shocked Adrien behind, standing in the doorway. The strange man helped himself into Adrien's desk chair, making himself as comfortable as he pleased. Adrien was still too dazed to speak against it.

"My life sucks," Brad whined. "It, like, really sucks. You don't understand."

He pointed at Adrien. "I bet you're a trust fund baby, aren't you?"

"Not exactly." Adrien began to explain. But the Brad dude cut him off and continued to wallow in self pity.

"Everyday is the same. I wake up, eat, go to work, go home, sleep. Wake up. Eat. Go to work. Go home. Sleep. Everyday is the same cycle over and over again. There's no adventure!" Brad cried. He laid himself across the desk chair and treated it as if it were a therapy chair.

"Look, I can't really help you too much, but I can give you some advice?" Adrien suggested, scratching his head. He was honesty probably the worst person to ask for advice from, considering he was sheltered his whole life during his daytime life.

"Cheese."

Adrien grew very confused. "You want advice on cheese?"

"No. I need cheese." He stood up from the chair. "Where do you keep the damn cheese in this place?"

Adrien watched as Brad searched through every cabinet and in the little fridge for cheese. This man reminded him of an old friend. Plagg. Not only did he enjoy cheese like him, but he was also a negative-ninny like him. It was impossible for this man to be his kwami, but the similarities were definite.

"I can't find any cheese." Brad then eyed the pizza box. Adrien watched as he made his way towards it and then just snagged a piece of pizza out of it.

"Hey!" Adrien exclaimed.

"Sorry," Brad blattered with a mouthful of food. "I just really needed cheese to keep my energy up."

"Yeah, well I paid for this," Adrien argued.

"So?" Brad took another bite of the cheesy pizza. Adrien was triggered as he watched the stringy cheese hang from the sides of the slice.

"So it doesn't give you the right to take _my_ pizza," Adrien glowered at him. This man definitely reminded him even more of Plagg. Stubborn. Inconsiderate. That was Plagg for you.

"Hey, I _delivered_ this pizza to your place _and_ you didn't even tip me," Brad retorted. "Besides, I only took one piece."

"I was planning on eating all eight pieces," Adrien shot back.

"The trust fund baby can always get more pizza and with the amount of money you have, you can demand pizza to be here in two seconds. You're ridiculous, really, the way you spend your money as high class."

Adrien hasn't ever been disrespected like that. Most people were intimidated by him or understood his high position and treated him with respect. So Adrien enjoyed this banter. He enjoyed the pizza man being rude and disrespecting him, as odd as it sounded. It made him feel like a normal person a bit.

"I can also use my money wisely in this case and have you shipped off to Africa," the business man smirked.

"Ha, you might end up coming with me and reunite with your monkey family."

"Monkeys are intelligent creatures. Probably smarter than you."

"A smart man would tip their delivery boy," Brad spoke.

"Oh, now we're back to the tipping incident?"

"With all your money, at least have the decency to tip! Use your common sense."

"Maybe you should've used your common sense by not barging in my office uninvited," Adrien replied. He was _really_ having fun.

"I'm sorry. I though it'd be okay to step inside here while delivering your food," Brad snapped back.

"Yes, but you sat down in my chair. And took my pizza."

"I'm sorry, but I needed to rest and fuel my body. Otherwise I might have not made it for the rest of the night."

"Does it look like I care?" Adrien raised an eyebrow.

"You should because I could pass out or die in your office and you'd have to take care of me."

"True. But you're really dramatic, you know that?"

Brad dipped his head. "I try my best."

And then Adrien let out a heartfelt laugh. That bickering was the most fun he had in, well...months. And it wasn't with a friend. It was with a stranger.

"I admire your efforts," Adrien said. And then he remembered about his hunger. He grabbed the biggest piece of pizza from the box. It was cheesy and stingy and it hit the spot.

"You know what would go great with this? A soda," Brad commented. Adrien pointed at the mini fridge. "In there."

Brad let out a gleeful noise and took two sodas, tossing one of the cans to Adrien. He cracked it open and took a few gulps. The soda really hit the spot as well.

"Brad?" Adrien asked.

"Hmm?"

"If you had the chance to, would you ever go back and fix something in your past? Make a decision that could change the course of your life?"

"I know that all things happen for a reason. My life sucks for a reason," Brad shrugged, tilting his head back while gulping down more soda. "What about you?"

Adrien sat on the edge of his desk and spoke thoughtfully. "There's this girl that I used to know. She was kind and beautiful and so confident. I loved her for years, but I never told her how I felt about her. The last time I saw her was right before my graduation. I told her I'd never leave her, but I haven't seen her since."

He sighed. "I wish I had told her I loved her that night, but I was a coward and I couldn't handle the thought of rejection. If I had confessed to her that night, maybe things would be different." Adrien closed his eyes. "Maybe I'd be happy."

Brad let out an obnoxious snort. "Well, that sucks."

"Yup."

"I guess both of our lives suck," Brad commented. Adrien just ignored his negativity and continued to rant to this stranger.

"I still love her, even though I haven't seen her in years," Adrien continued. All of his feelings and emotions he felt for Ladybug swarmed back in his heart. "I don't go a day without thinking about her."

"Don't you already have a girl?"

Adrien gave a slight nod. "Yeah...but our relationship is not on good terms right now. To be completely honest, I only dated her because she reminded me of _her,_ as awful as it sounds. She was kind and selfless like my past love. But she has changed. She is rude and selfish, the exact opposite of what I saw in her."

"Well, that sucks even more." Brad crunched up his empty soda can and threw it across the room. He ignored Adrien's irritated glare. "Life sucks. Life is unfair. It makes sure that you don't end up happy."

"Thanks for the motivation," Adrien spoke sarcastically.

"Why don't you just go talk to your past love," Brad suggested, leaning back even farther in the chair.

"That's the thing. I don't know where she is. I wish I could find her. Then I could break up with Brittany and try again with my lady."

"Why don't you break up with her now?"

Adrien was silent.

"I see. You don't like being alone," Brad said.

"I feel awful," Adrien groaned. "I feel like I'm using her. I've been trying to think of ways to break up with her for a while, but I can't. I can't handle being alone."

"I'm sure there are a thousand girls lined up to be with a hot trust fund baby like you," Brad replied. "Why not pick one of them?"

Adrien shook his head. "I can't do that. I'd be using them and leading them on."

"Well, bud. All I can say is you have to break up with the girl to get out of this toxic relationship." Brad shoved his last bite of pizza in his mouth.

"Yeah, I know."

"And you have to do it soon before you change your mind and cower away. Then you might never get out of this mess and be stuck in it with her."

"I'm trying to," Adrien responded.

They were interrupted by a knock on the door. Adrien turned around to face the door. He advanced towards it and twisted the door knob to open the door, revealing Brittany.

"Uh, um, hi." Adrien was surprised to see her. _Speak of the devil._

"I stopped by at your house, but you weren't home so I figured I'd find you here, and I did," Brittany explained. "Adrien, I need to talk to you."

Adrien glanced back at Brad—who looked very comfortable in the chair. He nudged Brittany out and closed the door behind him so they were in the hallway.

"Okay." Adrien kept his voice down low.

"I wanted to say I'm sorry," Brittany said. "I'm sorry for the way I behaved today. I'm sorry for the way I behaved for the past few months. I've been so selfish, only thinking about myself. But I need to put others before myself. I'm working on it. I'm trying to be a better person."

Adrien smiled slightly. The change he had been waiting for was finally happening. He knew she had a good heart. All she needed was a little help and for someone to start her off in the right direction, and soon she'd be making progress.

"I'm glad to hear that, Brit," Adrien signed in relief.

"Again, I'm also sorry for the way I treated you today," Brittany spoke. "Is there any way I can make it up to you?"

"Well, uh.."

Before Adrien could process any words, she had her arms wrapped around his neck. She smirked up at him, attempting to seduce him, and it was working. Adrien began to feel warm and he blushed a bright pink as Brittany ran her fingers down his neck, tingling his spine.

"Let me show you how sorry I really am," she whispered. She tangled her hands in his golden locks and pulled his lips down to meet hers, starting a long, passionate kiss.

 **A/N: WHEWWWWWW. Whatta chapter! Adrien, Adrien, Adrien, you've also gotten yourself into quite a mess. It's a CATastrophy ;) ;) (IM SORRY I HAD TO)**

 **Don't worry, next chapter, things are really gonna start getting into heat, so you're gonna wanna stick around :D**

 **Please, don't forget to leave me a review! They help me going!**

 **Until next time!**

 **I love you guys!**


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